Today I’m happy to be hosting Day 2 of a 5-day virtual tour for Raiders and Horse Thieves, a new memoir from Jackie Ellis Stewart. This book tour is sponsored by bestauthorinterviews.com.

It Was Meant to Be

Writing Raiders and Horse Thieves, Memoir of a Central Texas Baby Boomer was a years-long, gut wrenching experience. Initially, it was intended to be privately published and given to family members at Christmas. There were two reasons for recording my early history. I felt it was important for my children to know the truth about my childhood. I was even more determined to preserve my mother’s life story for posterity.

My life has been spent in worthwhile but unremarkable endeavors: running a household, raising children, community volunteer work, and part time clerical work. But at every turn in this project, there was always someone willing to provide whatever assistance was required.

I took a writing course from Suzanne Lieurance during which I blocked out the outline of the book. The course ended before I could bring myself to complete the task, but when I took it up again and couldn’t locate Suzanne, I found Roger Boylen through networking and was able to complete the book. He convinced me that Raiders and Horse Thieves was good enough for public rather than personal publication and suggested several possibilities.

It took them seven months, but the first publisher I approached agreed to publish the book.

I’m sharing all this to substantiate the following: the story of Raiders and Horse Thieves, Memoir of a Central Texas Baby Boomer was meant to be heard.

What People are Saying about Raiders and Horse Thieves

I picked up this little book on a busy weekend morning, intending to look at the fascinating pictures included with the text and then put the book aside for another time. I started reading and literally could not stop. The characters are fascinating and most made me both love them and hate them. I hope for a second book.

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Every family has a story and Ms. Stewart surely has much to share. Makes the reader a voyeur into another life and place much as Jeannette Walls did in The Glass Castle. This is an eye opening and revealing story far removed from the “normal” life that we assume happens in other families.

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I really enjoyed Raiders and Horse Thieves. It allowed me to see a wholly different world through a child’s eyes, and to recognize that her childhood, though quite unlike mine in many ways, was also much the same. I would guess that it will be the same happy experience for you.

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A fascinating look at a complex family dynamic during a time and place often obscured by veiled memories and popular fiction. A time and tale that will resonate with many. A great read.

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Follow Day 3 of this tour for Raiders and Horse Thieves tomorrow. To get the link, just go to www.bestauthorinterviews.com.